S. Reid Kahn

Reid is a partner in Michael Best's Litigation practice. He joined Michael Best with the New York team of Kane Kessler, P.C. Reid was previously Co-chair of the Litigation practice group at Kane Kessler for more than 35 years. Before entering private practice, he served as an assistant district attorney in the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, one of the largest prosecutorial offices in the country. 

He has extensive trial and appellate experience in commercial and contract disputes, entertainment law, privacy and publicity rights, defamation and press/speech-freedom matters (representing publishers), intellectual property, securities and shareholder disputes, international matters, labor and employment, creditors' rights, and personal injury and medical malpractice litigation. He has also directed complex internal investigations into alleged corporate bribery, fraud, and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. 

Reid's clients have included public and private corporations, corporate executives, manufacturers, retailers, film production companies, the Government of the Republic of Ghana, professional athletes, and entertainers. He is also an active mediator, who has mediated and resolved numerous matters involving shareholders disputes, copyright, trademark and other intellectual property actions, claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and other statutory labor and employment disputes, sexual harassment and employment discrimination matters and claims involving the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). He has served on the mediation panels of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the Commercial Division of the New York State Supreme Court (New York County), and the Superior Court of New Jersey, and on the mediation committee of the New York State Bar Association's Dispute Resolution Section. 

Solutions in action

Reid has represented clients in matters such as: 

• Regularly appointed by New York and New Jersey courts to mediate commercial disputes, shareholder disputes, and employment-related claims 
• Represented NBA star Patrick Ewing in a dispute over the unauthorized use of his name in a beverage advertisement 
• Defended an actress in a California lawsuit alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress, recovering $200,000 in fees and costs 
• Defended publishing-industry clients, including in the landmark Christie Brinkley v. John Casablancas case, limiting the ultimate damages award to $2,500 
• Defended television and film clients against breach-of-contract claims brought by managers and agents 
• Represented an independent film production company on investment documentation, music-rights clearance, and distribution of an award-winning feature film 
• Defended a well-known recording artist against a civil assault claim 
• Defended the Minister of Defense of the Government of Ghana against Torture Victim Protection Act claims in the Southern District of New York, obtaining dismissal after trial, and separately represented the Government of Ghana in a related property-recovery action 
• Defended the president of a residential mortgage company against $25 million in lender fraud allegations in the Southern District of New York 
• Obtained and collected a judgment of more than $1 million for a government-services software company after trial in the Southern District of New York 
• Resolved multiple claims against an insurer for unpaid life-insurance proceeds, including a jury verdict and a settlement of more than $1 million 
• Defended the president of an Argentine bank at trial in the Southern District of New York 
• Defended a bankruptcy-administration company at trial against claims of improper creditor-ballot recording 
• Recovered $1 million for a client in a fraudulent-investment matter 
• Represented a client subpoenaed by Congress in connection with a records-related investigation 
• Led an internal investigation into alleged Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations that resulted in a DOJ indictment